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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. track — a path
  3. last — to go on
  4. game — wild animals
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. last — finally
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rock — music
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. key — for a lock
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. game — a match
  18. rock — a stone
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. prune — to trim
  23. last — final
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com